The Mathew Heidieger Files
by Kabaneri
Summary: One of the most feared, if not the most, alchemist of the past century. Mathew Heidieger was chased for over 40 years for betraying Amestris and his experiments in the field of human transmutation.But what was the truth behind all these stories? Was he really a criminal? Ed and Al go to check a supposed lab of this person along with a new alchemist but is that person who he claims?
1. Chapter 1

**The Mathew Heidieger Files: Preview**

"talking"

'thinking'

 **ANs and comments**

 **s==============s**

'If only things had been different, if only none of the events that day had happened, what would have become of me?'

An old man in his late 70s stood in an underground hideout. His face was wrinkled and full of scars and burn marks, his eyes had permanent black circles and looked tired. His hair was light gray and shortly cut haphazardly, he had been cutting his hair alone for years now and he wasn't going to care much about his appearance when he could die any time now. His right ear was half ripped off and looked ugly and deformed. His skin was very pale and it looked like almost his whole body was full of scars. His clothes were old and had seen better years but he didn't have the lux to ask someone to wash them for him because, you see, he was a wanted man.

His name was Mathew Heidieger, from a small village in Amestris that no longer existed. It had been attacked, pilaged and burned to the ground by bandits when he was just 15. His whole family, friends and neighbours had been killed. He survived by sheer dumb luck by deciding to take a risky move.

===Flashback===

It was a peacefull night, the crickets were singing, the fire was burning in the oil lamps in every house, making the small village glow. Suddenly there was shooting and screaming. A group of over 50 masked men on horses with guns and torches came running in. They shot everyone who entered their sight, laughing like maniacs. Part of them broke into houses and took everything valuable, others led the animals with them, some even went after young girls and r*ped them, then killed them. He and his family tried to run but were spotted. His father had been shot while trying to protect him and his mother.

"DAD!"

"GO! Run away! I'll stall them."

"Hahaha! Like you can!" - the bandit shot him in the head.

They were then chased by horses and instead of getting away, in their panic they went the wrong direction and got ceperated. Mathew ran and ran, the sound of horses coming closer and closer. He then saw a light and ran toward it but it turned the light was from the burning houses of his village. Everyone had been killed, each house pilaged and set on fire along with the houses. The sound of the approaching bandits was coming closer and louder.

'I don't wanna die!'

Mathew frantically looked around.

'What should I do?! Do I take the risk? Of coures I do! I at least have a sliver of a chance of surviving!'

He then did the most illogical thing in his life up untill then. He hid inside the closest burning house. He knew fire wan't burn it instantly and that smoke rose up, so he entered the burning house and hid near the wall, laying on his belly, a handkerchief on his mouth.

"DAMN IT! Where did that brat go?!"

"We have to leave! The smoke might have been seen by now!"

"Yea, but the brat we were chasing disappeared somewhere! We have to kill 'im!"

"Shut up! What's more important? Your life or some stupid brat?!"

"Yeah, but.."

"No buts, ya idiot! It's not like he had seen us so give up before the military comes!"

They left but be didn't dare to come out yet. Even as cinders and burnt wood fell and burned his skin, he waited untill he was shure it was safe. After that he carefully crawled out of the burning house. He then hid in the woods near the village untill the sun rose. By then the fires were almost gone. He silently cried as he dragged his slightly burnt body around the village.

'Everything is gone...just like that.'

He saw a few men in military garb and asked them for help. They were surprised seeing him.

"Tell the commander we have one survivor." - one of the men said to his coleague.

"What do you mean? What about my mother? She was alive!" - Mathew shouted and coughed from straining his throat too much.

The soldier quetly led him to a place with a few bodies covered by white cloths.

"We found her on the road. Is this your mother?" - the soldier asked as he removed the cloth form one of the bodies.

Mathew's legs softened and he fell on the groung. His mother's bruised face being revealed was too much for him to bear.

'I'm all alone now...'

===End===

This had happened over 60 years ago and he still remembered it as if it had happened yesterday. He sighed tiredly and rubbed his wrinkled face. He sat on a chair next to a desk near the wall. He took a few old books, folders and journals. He lined them neatly on top of the desk. He then removed a brown diary from his coat's inner pocket. He leafed through it with a look of nostalgia. All but the very last page was full of neat writing. On the back was glued a picture of a few men and wemen standing in different poses, all in military garb, showing their watches off, their proof of being state alchemists. In the middle stood he, still young and full of life, his face clean, except the small burnt mark on his left cheek.

'I was only 28 when we took this picture. It was really a great time.' -he mused.

He took a pen out and started writhing on the last page.

===Flashback 2===

The now 23 year old Mathew was nervously sitting in a chair inside the Central. He was taking the state alchemist exam.

After the wipeout of his village, he found a temporary work and a place to stay but he was not satisfied. Like some heavenly forse had heard him, he met an alchemist by the name of Lyon Graham. He had then begged the man to take him as a disciple. Fter bugging him for a month, he agreed and took him in. Mathwe learned vigorously and worked on his practical skills even more. In only 7 and a half years, he had learned enough and became an alchemist. His teacher had congratulated him because people needed at least 10 years plus additional training to be able to use alchemy but he managed everything in roughly 7. After that he applied to take the state alchemist exam. He studied more and practiced untill the last possible day. Heck, he even entered the building reciting all the known elements and their composition.

They asked him some questions and then gave him the go on a practice fied. He passed the exam with above-average results. Other than him three more people passed. Two men and a woman. The woman's name was Sherry Gold, she had long blonde hair, green eyes and melodic voice, she was a natural beauty with the flaw she had the habbit of punching people that annoyed her. She was his first love.

===End===

He stopped writhing. On the last page were a few line that read:

 _If anyone finds this, then I have probably died during my last experiment. I'm just leaving my final words and regrets here. I have asked myself numerous times if what I did was wrong or right, had I overstepped the boundary of acceptable? Well, now I know I haven't! I learned a terrible fact about the 'hailed' Van Hohenheim. He is no saint, he's a sinner! He made the Philosopher's stone to achive his goals, made and is probably still making inhumane experiments and homunculi! Yeah, you can call me crazy but I know I'm right. Hohenheim had soiled the face of thrue alchemy! He is using the power of his stone to ruin the beauty and perfection of this art! People may say anything about me but at least I can say with clear consciousness that I have never commited an act that led me to see the so called "Gate of Truth" ! So, don't try doing things like him, you will regret it! Mathew Heidieger, the alchemist of fire and ice._

He closed the diary and put on a glove. It was white and had the circle for fire alchemy. He stood up, put a few pieces of wood in the fureplace and lit them up with a snap. He then took the first of the books and started tearing it apart with hidden hatred. He did so to half the books. If you looked carefully, you could see 'by Van Hohenheim' on each of them. After that he proceeded to burn everything else but his diary. A nostalgic look in his eyes.

'It's for the best. I can't allow anyone to find my work and use it for evil!' - he thought as he burned yet another journal.

After he made sure everything had turned to ashes and took a few chalks and started drawing many complex circles, lines and runes.

===Flashback 3===

Mathew was currently panting and hiding in the sewer. He was now 36 and his last mission was disastrous. He and a few more alchemists, along with Sherry Gold, were sent to investigate a case of mass disappearance of people. It was speculated an escaped criminal, refered to as the 'Mangle', famous for trying to make chimeras from literally everything. He was even crazu enough to try and combinr humans with plants or even items such as rocks, chairs or even knives. He was arrested but managed to were sent to this town to see if it's him and catch whoever it is that abducts the people.

His relationship with Sherry was going pretty well. He needed a few years to get past her hard shell and even harder punches but it had payed off. Tey were dating and were going to marry as soon as he retired in four years. Sherry had told him her biggest secret last year, she was sterile and couldn't have kids. Instead of pushing her away, like all men did when they heard, he pulled her even closer.

"What if you can't have kids?! We'll adopt one, or maybe a few! We'll mangae everything together! I love you and something like this won't change my decision to marry you!" - he told her that night.

After a few days they concluded the only place near here that can be used as a hideout was the abandoned bycicle factory. They readied themselves as they entered. An uneasy feeling settled in Mathew's gut. He hadn't felt like that ever since his village got burned.

"Wait! I don't think we should enter!" - he said to the leader of their group.

"Why?"

"Because I have a bad feeling! It's like something really bad will happen."

"Stop being paranoid. You're already, what, 30-40? Stop overthinking this. We go in, take the person out and clear the place. Easy as that. We're six and he's one!" - the leader dismissed him.

They entered and saw a workplace in one corner, a big ragged carpet in the middle and a few cages on the left with many mangled chimeras crying. Just by their shape you could understand each of them had human mixed in them.

'It's quiet, way too quiet. And where is the...' Mathew looked down at the carpet '...Transmutation CIRCLE!' - he realized.

"Everyone! Get away!" - he shouted as he jumped away from the carpet.

Some mechanism activated before the others could react and Sherry was more than 10 metres away from him. The carpet was quickly pulled out from under their feet and they fell on top of a giant circle. With horror Mathew saw the 'Mangle' clap his hands and acrivating the circle. The thing he saw next was horifying. His coleagues and love werscreaming as their bodies fused together to form a gruesome ball of hands, feet and blood.

"Oya. One escaped? Yo, Mangle, wasn't this plan of yours foul proof?!" - another figure made it's presence known.

It was their current Brigadeer commander, Malcolm Ferret.

"Iit was! No one managed to escape it untill now!" - Mangle answered with voice that sounded like he was gargling marbles.

Mathew's heart fell in his stomach.

'The commander worked with the Mangle? Why?!'

He pressed a button and a few or the doors opened and a lot of people wearing military uniforms came out and pointed their weapons at him.

"Today state alchemist Mathew Heidieger was revealed as accoplice to the wanted criminal the 'Mangle'. He betrayed his squad and used them as test subjects, luckyly a patrool heard the screams and saw him on the crimescene. Unfortunately the 'Mangle' escaped and the others were killed out of mercy. Heidieger is a wanted criminal and will be executed as soon as possible. Capture him!" - he ordered.

The soldiers pointed their guns at him but unfortunately for them Mathew was ready and dodged everything as he ran and used alchemy to defend himself. While Ferret was talking, mathew had slipped his gloves on and shifted in a pose where he would be able to run at any time. After that he entered the town but there were soldiers there too, so he opened a manhole and entered the sewage. He tried to fix things after he escaped the town but it didn't work. It was a Brigadeer commander's word against a low-rank alchemist. Someone had also tossed 'evidence' that he had been a mole. In a month, wanted posters with his face spread all around Amestris.

His first love was gone, his career and life too. He had nothing more. At couple of times he thought about commiting suicide but in the end refused. He decided to live and gave himself a new goal. He became a scientist, traveled around the world with different names and faces. He had learned how to transmute realistic skin masks in order to not be executed on spot. He stayed a few years and learned from the Xing alchemists and started making his own theories about alchemy. Around his 47th birthday he found a very old book about human transmutation written by Hohenheim. What he read in it made him sick and disgusted. How could someone sully the art of alchemy like that?! Hohenheim became his enemy from that day forward. In Mathew's eyes, turning the beauty of alchemy in something so sinister and repulsive was a sin.

'Van Hohenheim...I'll make shure nothing of your reputation remains! I'll prove you'll be able to change the world without some stone made of human sacrifices!'

===End===

He finished the last part. This was the last and the most complex circle he had ever invented. He looked at his life's work and started preparing the materials.

===Flashback 4===

He had started experimenting on humans. They were already dead, mind you. He collected recently deceased bodies and tested on them but he still was blamed for human transmutation and the stories of Mathew Heidieger, the most evil alchemist of the century spread even wider and farther away from the truth, reaching the point they speculated he was trying to make a Philosopher's stone or is working for the devil. In reality he did some experiments that may seem immoral but in the eyes of an alchemist were normal when you have in mind that some secretly buy slaves to experinent on them. He only took dead bodies.

Something interesting also happened. As kis understanding grew and he made new discoveries like breaking down items to their molar and atomic composition, icroscopes that could see the smallest cell, defibrlator, DNA, RNA and many others but he couldn't share them due to obvious reasons, he reached a conclusion.

'As long as you have the DNA and compounds of a human and enough electricity to start the heart, a human clone will become a reality!'

He also realized he could do basic alchemy, like changing the shape of a rock or fiving a clay pot, without a cirgle. He either needed to clap his hands and touch the item but also if he had enough time to relax anc concentrate, he could just touch it and transmute it.

The first time he succeeded at the age of 54, he was so happy he whooped and jumped around like a little kid for half an hour!

'HA! In your face Hohenheim! This prove that with enough understanding and hard work you can learn to transmute circleless without going to tis so called "Gate of Truth"! I'm such a genius!'

After that he continued to improve himself and at the age of 62 he made his first attempt in transuting a living being. He created a perfect copy of a dog he found dead on the side of the road. It ran, barked, ate and did everything a normal dog could do. The minus was that he had to train it not to make meses inside. He then attempted several more transmutations untill he reached human one. He used the DNA of a young teenage girl that had died the previous day. He prepared every material he needed and transmuted a perfect copy. He then used two electrodes to shock the body and start the heart. The moment it started moving, he knew he cucceeded. He had created a human through alchemy!

Later he realised another problem. Because he had used animals he didn't notice it but when he tried talking to the girl, she olny looked at him and tried to imitate him like an infant would. He understood that even if he created a perfect copy, it won't have any memories, even though the body knows how to move out of pure instinct. This raised the question why did this happen.

He used the girl he named Chio to understand this. He raised her and taught her different things and monitored her brain functions. This led him to discover that the memories every human has is just memorised code of electrical pulses. Chio also amazed him. She reached the intelectual level of a 12 year old in 3 years but unfortunately, because of a heart defect that had been transmuted when he cloned her body, she died. After that he made shure to check the body's health before doing something. And if there was, to try and fix it.

===End===

All materials were set in different points of the complex diagram of circles. Two big batteries were set as suplement energy sources. Also a few other containers with different liquids in them, also a few empty ones.

He took off all his clothes and steeled himself. He knew this may kill him if the smallest mistake occured. He also didn't have anything to test it on, so he was going to be probably the first and last to test this last theory of his. He used a special ink he made to draw a strange symbol that looked more like a tattoo pattern than an alchemical symbol. He then went to the middle, laid on his back, clapped his hands and acrivated the circle.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

He screamed as his body convulsed and trashed from pain. He wantedd to run but gritted his teeth.

'I have always done illogical things in these type of situations. Both in the village and here. I would grab even the smallest chance and...never le...t...go.'

Darkness enveloped him and he fainted from pain. Blood flowed, parks danced, the batteries started their work, bones broke and skin fell. White light enveloped everything. No one heard of Mathew Heidieger anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

A figure of a young kid, no more than 13-14 judging by appearance was running on the streets of Central city.

'Oh crap, oh crap! I OVERSLEPT!'

The hooded figure ran fast and sometimes bumped into someone or tripped but it didn't matter. It was running towards the alchemy test.

'Because of oversleeping the chance to be a State Alchemist would slip out of my hands like wet soap yet AGAIN! I missed the exams last year because the train derailed! And the year before there was a storm that caused the only bridge that could be used in miles fell! God, it's like the universe is trying to stop me!'

With a final turn and skid it entered the Central and ran towards the exam room.

"Stop! Who are-!"

"Shut up, I'm in a hurry! My ID!"

An ID was thrown in the face of the guard as the figure ran past them before they could react. It had disappeared by the time they turned around. As it ran inside the halls a lot of people were startled and some even dropped the things they were carying. At one corner the figure collided with a blonde boy with red jacked, causing him to fall.

"Sorry dude! I didn't see ya!" - it shouted as it ran down the hall and disappeared.

"Who the heck are you calling so short he can't be seen?!"

"Calm down brother, I'm sure he? she? didn't mean to be rude. It was in a hurry, also you weren't called short." - Alphonse said to his brother.

"I know Al but still...Che! I hope we don't meet!"

"Ok. Now, lets go, the Colonel is waiting for our report."

===In the special area designed for the test way in the back===

"Are we ready Malcolm?"

"Almost Brood. Just to check the list of passed participants and we can begin."

The two examiners talked to eachother. Malcolm, a man with shoet dark-blonde hair and thin goatie, and Brood, a dark haired man in his late 40s with thich eyebrows, were watching the people that were taking the exam. They were quite disappointed and guessed none would survive long enough even if they did pass by some miracle.

"I swear more and more incompetents take this test each year! Remember how the year before only one person passed and it was a 12 year old kid! Are all adults no good these days?" - Malcolm sighed.

"Don't worry this much! Lets start with the check and get over with the test. Attention! Norber Ainzer?" - Brood patted him on the shoulder.

"Here!"

"Breta Colman?"

"Here!"

"Anrie Forflaicht?"

No one answered.

"Is Anrie Forflaicht here?"

The doors burst open and a hooded panting figure stormed through them.

"WAIT! I'm here!"

"Who are you?!" - Malcolm shouted.

"I'm Anrie Forflaicht! I'm sorry for my tardiness!"

The figure saluted and took off the hood of the jacket. Black locks on both sides of the face made it stand out like it was in a picture. The back was cut short on layers, th bottom very short and the top hald longer. Beautiful eyes that seemed like they had every color in them, small nose, thin lips, a mole under the right eye and the smooth, slightly childish face combined with the shortness made the figure even cuter. Some of the younger men blushed at the sight.

"You are excused for now, but don't expect such things anymore, little girl!" - Malcolm scolded her.

"Thanks sir! But I'm not a girl, I'm a boy!" - he saluted and went to his place.

Everyone was staring at Anrie with the same though 'How the heck is THIS a boy?!' . They continued with the list without any more problems and started the practical exam. The examiners were a bit surprised by the performance of some while others failed spectacularly. Then Anrie stepped forward, his posture confident although he looked messy, both his shirt and pants wrinkled, shoes not tied with one shoelace hanging, almost on the grownd. When you were in a hurry you didn't have time to look neat. Anrie took out two gloves with circles sewn into them. It could not be seen clearly but there were also circles on the palms as well as the back of the hands. Brood stared at the circle on the back of the right glove. It was the same circle Mustang had on his gloves with a few diferences, so he was a bit shocked the other circle, however, was strange. It was very complex with one line going down towards the sleeve, the circle was also unfamiliar. Anrie clapped his hands and put them on the grownd. A set of chairs and a table with cups appeared along with a pit for fire filled with wood. With a snap the wood lit on fire while Anrie used his other hand to transmute an icecube into water again in one of the cups. He sat down on a chair took out a bag of corn, transmuted a bowl with a lid, pored the corn in and closed it. Everyone wondered that he was going to do. He placed it on the table, clapped his hands and pressed the lid down with his left hand. The unfamiliar circle glowed dimly and sent sparks in the bowl. After a while numerous pops were heard from the inside and the examinees that were close backed away. None of them had seen something like this and were worried that if a mistake was made it could explode and hurt them. Anrie was calm and after some more time he removed the lid to reveal freshly made popcorn, not that the others knew what that was. He took a couple blew at them and ate them.

"Hhey, is it fine for you to eat it? It was made by alchemy, it also looks weird." - a girl asked.

"Yeah, what the heck is this?" - another person asked.

"Oh, this is Popcorn. It's corn that's been heated so much it popped into this" he showed them one "without burning. It's fine to eat it, it's also my breakfast. Too bad I don't have salt or butter for them though." - he munched on another bunch and took a sip from the water.

The exam continued and finished without a hitch, although the examiners threw glances at Anrie as he watched from a transmuted chair while eating popcorn.

'That brat...!' - they seethed as they looked at him.

His smug face basically spoke: 'What? Jealous you didn't think of transmuting chairs instead of standing up the whole time?'.

===The next day===

Anrie had recieved the notice to come to Central and meet someone named colonel Roy Mustang. He knew he probably passed but kept it to himself just in case. He met the colonel in his office and greeted him formally.

"I hear what you did during the exams and I have to say I'm quite impressed. Beiing able to use multiple types of alchemy with ease is a feat of its own. I want to ask you something. The thing about the unknown circle on your left glove, what exactly does it do?"

"It's my own invention colonel, but with due respect, why do you want to know? I may not want to share my discoveries with others and want them to be my trademark secret only. Just like the art alchemy the Armstrongs use."

"I don't try to make you reveal its making, just what he...it does." - although he tried to look cool, he had paled a bit after the mention of Armstrong.

"Oh, it uses the electric sparks that are being generated by alchemy and makes them stronger. With some control you can do anything from pranks to frying a person from the inside-out. It also doubles as a lighter." - he made his point by clapping his hands and making electricity crackle on his palm.

"That's enough. The other thing was that I wanted to congratulate you. You are the second youngest person to pass the test, at the age of 15, congratulations!" he gave Anrie the signature watch " Congratulations, the Multi alchemist!"

"Multi, really?" - Anrie raised a brow.

"Yes, you use multiple elements, hence the name. For today you are free but tomorrow I'll assign you to a mission with another alchemist. Be sure to be here by 9:00."

"Yes, sir! Goodbye!" - he turned around and left.

After exiting the Central Anrie stopped and looked at the city in front of him. He sighed, his cheerfull face gone for a moment. He squeezed the pocket watch he recieved and went towards the marked to buy something to eat with new vigour.

"Aaa...ACHOO! sniff...Is someone talking about me?"

===Back in Mustang's office===

"Sir, you have to fill these documents." - Hawkeye entered the room with a small stack of papers.

What she saw stopped her in her tracks. A heavy and gloomy atmospere had surrounded Mustang. He had crossed his arms under his chin as he stared at some files.

"Sir, what happened?"

"Hawkeye, you know about the new recruit that came today, right?"

"Yes, what about it?"

He showed her a picture of a beautiful black haired kid.

'What a pretty girl. Is she the new recruit?' - she wondered.

"Tell me...how the HELL is this a **boy**?!" - he shouted at the end, balling some of his hair in his fist.

'What the...?! It's a boy?! It's also prettier than some girls. How is it possible?'

They stayed like that for quite a while, work forgotten. Later they were joined by Havoc, Breda, Falman and Fuery. They stayed like that untill late afternoon. Hawkeye had recovered by then and used her gun to 'inspire' the others.

===That evening at apartment 307, Bisca complex===

Anrie had eaten out to celebrate his acceptance and was now getting ready for bed. As he took off his clothes he looked at the calendar hung on the wall.

'I have to pay the month's rent tomorrow before leaving.'

He laid in his bed, which was a matress with sheets on the floor, a thing he picked from Xing while he traveled through the place. He turned off the lights and fell into restless sleep.


End file.
